Mercury Rev

"Mercury Rev" are an American rock music group, formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker (vocals), Jonathan Donahue (vocals, guitars), Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a. "Grasshopper" (guitars, clarinet), Suzanne Thorpe (flute), Dave Fridmann (bass) and Jimy Chambers (drums).

With their early records, Mercury Rev offered experimental, psychedelic rock, which gradually shifted to a melodic, ornate sound. Mercury Rev are often compared to The Flaming Lips, and in fact have close ties: Soon after the band's formation, Donahue also joined the Flaming Lips as second guitarist and appeared on two of their albums. Furthermore, several Flaming Lips recordings have been produced by Mercury Rev's Dave Fridmann.

Despite considerable critical acclaim, their early releases never gave Mercury Rev more than cult popularity, though they appeared on the smaller second stage at some 1993 Lollapalooza stops. Baker left after their second record, ''Boces'' (1993), citing musical and personal disputes; he later recorded an album as Shady. With his departure, the darker, more experimental and less accessible features of their music began to disappear.